JJ Wetherholt's extension details reveal Cardinals' future spending outlook

The St. Louis Cardinals made huge news this past weekend when they inked star rookie JJ Wetherholt to an eight-year, $112.5 million deal to keep the Cardinals' second baseman in St. Louis for a long time. Now the official details of that extension have been made public, which reveal what kind of spending flexibility the Cardinals will have each season moving forward.

According to The Associated Press, Wetherholt's extension follows the typical breakdown of a backloaded deal that players early in their career will sign when a long-term agreement is reached. Wetherholt will make $2.5 million in 2027, $4 million in 2028, $7.5 million in 2029, $12.5 million in 20230, $17 million in 2031, $20 million in 2032, $22 million in 2033, and $25 million in 2034. The average annual value of the contract is set at $14,062,500.

Jon Becker of FanGraphs does a great job of putting all contract information in one place on FanGraphs' RosterResource, and he has that full detailed breakdown on Wetherholt's player page, including the contract incentives like a $2,000,000 kicker if he is traded, and $5,000,000 bumps in salary if he wins Most Valuable Player in 2032, 2033, or 2034.

JJ Wetherholt's extension gives the Cardinals a picture of their payroll moving forward

Outside of Wetherholt, there is not a single Cardinal in the organization signed to a guaranteed deal beyond this season, outside of $13 million owed between Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, as well as up to $500,000 buyouts for both Dustin May and Ramon Urias, should their options be declined.

This meant that the Cardinals' books were essentially wide open until Wetherholt's extension, which now gives them some cost certainty as they look toward future team building.

During Wetherholt's extension press conference, Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III talked about how this deal felt like the first of more to come, indicating the Cardinals very much intend to extend more players from their core in the coming months or years. Names like Jordan Walker, Ivan Herrera, and Alec Burleson certainly come to mind for potential extensions, as does a prospect like Rainiel Rodriguez.

Prior to the payroll slashing we saw the last two seasons, the Cardinals annually spent north of $150 million on their payroll, even approaching the $200 million number back in 2023 before they decided to sell at that deadline. If the Cardinals intend to get back into that range when they are ready to compete again, having some idea of how much room they have to work with is key for planning future extensions and free agent signings.

With Wetherholt's extension, the Cardinals have just $4 million on their books for 2028 and $8 million in 2029 (not including player benefits, arbitration players, or league minimum contracts). Extensions for any of Walker, Burleson, or Herrera would likely cost them more on an average annual value due to how close they are to free agency, but even so, that means the Cardinals should be looking at a lot of financial flexibility to extend talent, target players in trade, or make some significant moves in free agency.

Getting this deal now with Wetherholt means that the Cardinals are avoiding paying market value when Wetherholt hits what would have been his first three free agent years. Wetherholt is trending toward being a very expensive player, but the Cardinals will "only" pay him an average salary of $22.3 million in those three years. They also now have a guaranteed number during his three arbitration years from 2029-2031, which seems to be the prime range for when Chaim Bloom expects this team to be a true, perennial World Series contender.

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